China Releases List of Countries Whose Citizens Are Eligible for Visa-Free Entry

China Releases List of Countries Whose Citizens Are Eligible for Visa-Free Entry

  • China has published an official list of 50 nations cleared for unilateral visa-free entry
  • Ordinary passport holders can enter for up to 30 days for tourism, business, transit, or family visits
  • The policy includes 35 European nations alongside select countries from Asia, the Americas, and Oceania

The Chinese National Immigration Administration, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has released an updated list of nations covered under its expanding unilateral visa exemption policies.

The measure allows qualifying passport holders to enter mainland China without a visa for short-term stays, part of a broader ongoing push by Beijing to revitalise international tourism and ease global business travel.

China has expanded its unilateral visa-free policy, allowing citizens of 50 countries to enter for up to 30 days without a visa.
China publishes an official list of 50 nations cleared for unilateral visa-free entry. Photo: Getty
Source: Getty Images

Under the current guidelines, citizens from 50 designated countries spanning Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania can travel to China seamlessly, provided they hold ordinary passports.

Eligible travellers are permitted to stay in China for a maximum of 30 days for business, tourism, family visits, exchange visits, or direct transit.

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The immigration administration explicitly notes that the stay duration is calculated starting from 00:00 (midnight) on the day following the date of entry.

The full list of countries whose citizens are eligible for the unilateral visa-free entry includes:

  1. Andorra
  2. Argentina
  3. Australia
  4. Austria
  5. Bahrain
  6. Belgium
  7. Brazil
  8. Brunei Darussalam
  9. Bulgaria
  10. Canada
  11. Chile
  12. Croatia
  13. Cyprus
  14. Denmark
  15. Estonia
  16. Finland
  17. France
  18. Germany
  19. Greece
  20. Hungary
  21. Iceland
  22. Ireland
  23. Italy
  24. Japan
  25. Kuwait
  26. Latvia
  27. Liechtenstein
  28. Luxembourg
  29. Malta
  30. Monaco
  31. Montenegro
  32. Netherlands
  33. New Zealand
  34. North Macedonia
  35. Norway
  36. Oman
  37. Peru
  38. Poland
  39. Portugal
  40. Romania
  41. Russian Federation
  42. Saudi Arabia
  43. Slovakia
  44. Slovenia
  45. Spain
  46. Sweden
  47. Switzerland
  48. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  49. Uruguay
  50. Republic of Korea

China sentences former senior official to death

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Chinese authorities sentenced a former senior government official to death after convicting him of accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan, equivalent to about 325 million dollars, in bribes over three decades.

Yang Youlin, 69, was found guilty by a court in Changzhou, eastern China, following a lengthy corruption investigation linked to President Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-corruption campaign.

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Chinese authorities convicted Yang of bribery, embezzlement, abuse of power and money laundering
Chinese court sentences former Nanjing official Yang Youlin to death in a major corruption case. Photo: Getty
Source: Getty Images

Prosecutors said Yang abused several public offices he held in Nanjing between 1993 and 2023 to obtain unlawful financial benefits.

According to the court, Yang accepted money and valuable gifts in exchange for helping individuals and companies secure engineering projects, land transactions and financing approvals.

He was also convicted of embezzlement, abuse of power and money laundering. The court ruled that his actions caused severe financial losses to the state and seriously undermined public interest.

Judges described the offences as exceptionally serious and said the scale of the corruption justified the death sentence.

List of countries that requires no visa to enter South Korea

Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea have updated the entry frameworks for international travelers, detailing specific visa-free stay limits for global citizens.

Under South Korea's reciprocal visa-waiver agreements, ordinary passport holders from eligible jurisdictions can enter the country for short-term stays, including tourism, business meetings, and family visits, without obtaining a traditional consular visa

Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
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Ibrahim Sofiyullaha (Editorial Assistant) Ibrahim Sofiyullaha is a graduate of First Technical University, Ibadan. He was the founder and pioneer Editor-in-Chief of a fast-rising campus journalism outfit at his university. Ibrahim is a coauthor of the book Julie, or Sylvia, written in collaboration with two prominent Western authors. He was ranked as the 9th best young writer in Africa by the International Sports Press Association. Ibrahim has contributed insightful articles for major platforms, including Sportskeeda in the UK and Motherly in the United States. Email: ibrahim.sofiyullaha@corp.legit.ng